How to Make a Successful Cerebral Palsy Claim

A diagnosis of cerebral paralysis can have a profound impact on the life of the child as well as the lives of their family. Compensation can allow them to live a full and active life by providing access to care and equipment, as well as assistance.

Medical negligence is usually the reason for cerebral palsy lawsuit palsy. This can be due to a lack of medical attention during pregnancy, difficulties during delivery or other incidents.

Causes

Early diagnosis and treatment of CP can help improve a child's capabilities. Doctors diagnose CP based on the child's movement, muscle tone and coordination. They may refer children to specialists such as neurologists, pediatric orthopedists, and physiatrists to assist in managing symptoms and increase quality of life.

Cerebral palsy affects all people differently. It can be mild, having a minimal impact on a child's ability to function, or severe and cause impairments throughout the body. The signs can include a neck that is floppy (floppy neck) muscles that are stiff and uncontrolled as well as difficulty walking or having difficulties with speech and other functions. If a child has cerebral palsy on one side of the body, it's referred to as hemiplegia. If it occurs on both sides, it's called diplegia. The severity of CP can cause a locked-in (spastic) condition that is characterized by muscle spasticity. This can restrict the movement of a person and result in difficulty speaking and eating.

Medical mistakes in childbirth are the most common cause of CP. Midwives, doctors and nurses must be careful when delivering babies as brain damage could have serious consequences. If a medical error results in oxygen deprivation or other brain injury that causes cerebral palsy, the physician may be held liable for malpractice. This is the case when scheduling or performing a Csection urgently or failing to monitor and escalate the intensity of labor.

Signs and symptoms

If your child is suffering from cerebral palsy, they will most likely show a variety of physical signs. These could include tight or stiff joints, a limp, uncontrolled movements, and issues with balance and posture. Other issues include intellectual disability, speech delays and hearing and vision problems.

The symptoms of cerebral palsy are caused by damage to the brain of an infant. This is usually the case during infancy or the early years of childhood. A delay in achieving milestones such as standing up, crawling or walking is a typical symptom of CP. Children with CP are also more likely to experience trouble swallowing and might need feeding tubes.

Many factors can contribute to an injury to the brain that results in CP. These include diseases like toxoplasmosis, or rubella during pregnancy; high blood pressure during pregnancy; and genetic predisposition. A severe lack of oxygen to the brain (asphyxia) during the birth or during labor is a major reason for CP as is bleeding in the brain caused by blood vessels that are blocked or damaged.

Depending on the form of cerebral palsy, the symptoms may range from mild to severe. The most prevalent type of cerebral palsy can be described as spastic cerebral palsy, which is defined by muscles that are stiff. Dyskinetic cerebral palsy (also called athetoid, choreoathetoid or choreoathetoid), is characterized by slow and uncontrolled writhing of the arms, legs and body. Other types of CP could include ataxic cerebral palsy that has a shaky motion or paraplegic cerebral palsy attorney aphasia where the legs and arms are affected.

Treatment

Although cerebral palsy symptoms differ, firm the majority of patients with the condition experience stiffness and decrease in muscle control. They may also have problems with coordination and balance. The type of problem that they face is determined by the brain region that was injured and the severity of the injury.

Many people with CP need special physical therapy to increase their mobility, muscle tone and stretch their muscles and joints. It also helps relieve discomfort and prevent contractures. Exercises, braces or other treatments can be incorporated.

CP is caused by musculoskeletal issues such as patella alta and hip dysplasia. Scoliosis and cervical stenosis are also common. These can cause major issues in mobility, which decreases the life expectancy of patients.

Speech and language therapy can be used to aid children who are not able to communicate effectively. This can assist them to learn new ways of communicating and could involve signing language, firm communication boards or voice synthesizers.

These medications can be used to relax muscles that are stiff or overactive or muscles, limit abnormal movement, reduce pain and seizures. These medications can be administered orally, or directly injected into the affected muscles or into the fluid around your spinal cord.

Compensation

If your case of cerebral palsy is successful, you can be compensated to pay for your child's medical equipment, specialist care and treatment. The compensation will be based upon the physical and mental effects of your child's condition as well as any expenses or losses you might have incurred. These might include loss of earnings because you have had to take a break from work to care for your child, home adaptations and transportation costs to transport your child to and from appointments.

Based on the degree of the injury to your child, your lawyer may hire an expert in disability issues to develop a "lifecare plan' that carefully outlines all their needs starting from the date of their diagnosis until they reach adulthood. This will help you determine the most accurate amount of compensation. It usually will be an amount in lump sum and annual payments that are adjusted to keep up with the rate of inflation.

You should know that the amount of compensation you receive for a legal case that is successful is not a windfall. It is a recognition of unfairness that was caused by a medical professional did not provide the care they were supposed to during labour, pregnancy and the delivery.